Cincinnati Agile Roundtable

Meeting May 1st. "Hiring Developers: A Survivor's Guide."

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:33:00 +0000

Topic: "Hiring Developers: A Survivor's Guide."
Preview of a workshop that will be offered by James Smith and Bill Barnett at QC Merge

Register

Meeting April 3rd. -- Canceled

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:26:00 +0000

Sorry, No meeting this month after all.
We were going to have a "Open-Mic" Roundtable.

But I'm not feeling very Agile ever since I strained my back last weekend cleaning the garage.

Meeting March 6th - ClojureScript

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:09:00 +0000

Topic: Developing on the Bleeding Edge: A Story of Building Libraries for ClojureScript

Creighton Kirkendall has been working in Java technologies since 1997
and has been accused of being a perl hack on more than one occasion.
For a brief period of time he drifted to the dark side and played an
executive. He even managed to get an MBA to prove it. In the end, it
turned out that a techie nerd doesn't make a happy executive. For the
last four years Creighton has been consulting for SEI at his current
client Luxottica as an architect. When not at work Creighton spends
most of his free time coaching his two children in soccer and hacking
a bit of Clojure.

Register

* http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/cinci-art/surveys?id=2411147

Feb 7th Meeting Topic: Outcomes of Firm Fixed Contracts

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:12:00 +0000

At the meeting 7th February meeting, Mark Windholtz will present the possible outcomes when a software project is based on a Firm Fixed Contract.

A Firm Fixed contract sets the project scope, budget, and delivery date. This seems like a good idea for the client of the project because it forces the software development team to make a commitment to delivering the project. The reality is that projects based on the Firm Fixed contract, follow one of the paths that we will present in this talk.

There are a predictable set of project outcomes. Come to the meeting and see what can possibly happen.

January Meeting Location Moved

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:37:00 +0000

Today's meeting moved to the Gaslight offices.
Please spread the word.

Map: http://gaslightsoftware.com/contact.html

Meeting Jan 3rd. CodeMash Preview: "Beautiful Front End Code with Backbone.js and CoffeeScript"

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:59:00 +0000

Beautiful Front End Code with Backbone.js and CoffeeScript

This presentation will also be presented at CodeMash 2012

Abstract: It's time to write client side code we can love every bit as much as our server side code. After years of missteps and bad ideas, things are finally taking shape to let us do it. Coffeescript provides a beautiful syntax for writing javascript that causes the noise to fade away and our intent to shine through. Backbone.js gives us an elegant MVC framework that provides just enough structure and guides our client side code towards the kind of clean, reusable codebase we are used to from server side frameworks. Combining these with practices we know work such as Test Driven Development, there's no longer any excuse at all for ugly front end code. In this session I'll share my experience writing real applications this way and show how these excellent technologies fit together.

Presented By: Chris Nelson

About the Speaker: Chris Nelson is a software developer who hails from the fair city of Cincinnati, Ohio. He has been developing web applications for about 15 years and is passionate about finding better ways to do it. He's spoken at most of the major and ruby and java conferences and is an advocate for ways to develop software that actually work (sometimes referred to as Agile).

Please Register

Meeting Dec 6th, Two Great Organizations, One Great Event!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:39:00 +0000

Register here: Eventbrite announcement/registration link

Come join the Agile Cincinnati and Agile Roundtable leadership for an evening of food, fun, and comradarie as we ring in the holiday season!

Food and drinks are not covered for this event, so each attendee is responsible for purchasing their own meals and beverages.

Both groups will be meeting at Buca di Beppo - Cincinnati - Rookwood Commons at 6:30pm on Tuesday Dec 6th. There will be individual checks for all food and drink orders.

Meeting: Tues Nov 1st.: Roundtable

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:44:00 +0000

The next meeting is on Tues Nov 1st.
Its been a long time since the last one, so we will have a Roundtable format.
Bring any Agile issues and questions you may have, or just listen in to what other people are experiencing.

Register here for Pizza.

Tuesday 4th Oct: Cincinnati Children’s Agile Journey

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:04:00 +0000

Learn from the experience of a team at Cincinnati Children's on the challenges they were facing using traditional waterfall method and why they decided to give the Agile process a try. Join Marjorie and Robyn as they share their experiences
over the last two years.

Abstract: We had been facing challenges using the traditional waterfall method and needed to improve project outcomes. After attending several Agile presentations we decided to give the Agile process a try. Join us as we share our experiences over the last two years of using the Agile framework. We’ll discuss how we introduced it, what type of projects we have implemented using this process and how we keep spreading the word and moving forward. We’ll be talking about what went well; the positive impacts we have made delivering projects at CCHMC and, of course, what can be improved!

Bio:
Marjorie is a member of the Project Management Office at CCHMC. She has over 25 years of IT experience in a number of verticals including insurance, manufacturing and telecommunications. Various roles have been programmer, resource manager, project manager and Agile evangelist.
Robin manages the PeopleSoft HCM/ELM and Kronos development teams at CCHMC. She has over 25 years of IT experience in a number of verticals supporting human resources information systems. Her roles have included: programmer, resource manager, project manager and Agile advocate.

Meeting Tues Sept 6th: The Semantic Web and JRuby

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 13:26:00 +0000

The Semantic Web and JRuby

The Semantic Web is changing the way we communicate and share data on the internet and holds the key to exciting new innovations. Come and discover what the Semantic Web is and it's many benefits. We'll learn about some of the technologies that enable the Semantic Web (RDF/ SPARQL) and take a look at using the power of JRuby to access Jena, a prominent Java Open Source Semantic Web Framework, to do some practical examples

Presented by:
Carin Meier
twitter @carinmeier
http://gigasquidsoftware.com/wordpress/

August Summer Break: No Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:38:00 +0000

Agile Round Table will be taking a summer break in August 2011.
We will NOT have an official meeting on August 2nd.
You may want to check the mailing list to see if anyone is maybe interested in an un-official meeting at Habanjaro

Meeting July 5th: Jim Weirich

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 14:50:00 +0000

Meeting July 5th: Jim Weirich will talk about testing with RSpec Given.

Register here for Pizza.

June 7th, Topic: Agile in A Flash

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 13:33:00 +0000

Meeting Topic: Agile in A Flash

We'll review and discuss the advice on the flash cards. And generate ideas on how to use these great cards to enable and improve Agile teams.

http://agileinaflash.blogspot.com

Purchase Cards

Meeting Tues May 3rd. Who’s Using Your Software?

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Mon, 02 May 2011 18:23:00 +0000

Gerard Sychay
=============

Gerard Sychay (@cincycoworks) is currently Technology Director at Zipscene Mobile, a mobile technology provider in Cincinnati, OH. There, he shepherds the LAMP platform that powers the company’s mobile web and native applications. He is co-founder of the Ohio-Indiana-Northern Kentucky PHP User Group, known affectionately as OINK-PUG.

Who’s Using Your Software?
==========================

Software is only successful if someone can use it. This talk will be an open discussion on knowing your audience, and how WHO uses your software impacts HOW you design it. We'll talk about frameworks and the types of organizations that build software, and the types of folks who are your users.

Tuesday April 5th. Topic: Fariy Tale Clojure

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:31:00 +0000

Topic: Clojure is a powerful, elegant, and dynamic programming language on the JVM. This presentation will be a gentle introduction to the language with code examples presented in a Fairy Tale format.

Carin Meier (@carinmeier) of gigasquidsoftware has been developing software in large and small companies in Cincinnati for over 10 years. She mainly focuses on Java/J2EE development, but she is increasingly drawn to dynamic languages such as Ruby and Clojure. She lives in Loveland, has two small children, and reads many fairy tales to them.

Meeting Tues: March 1st: XP-Game

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:23:00 +0000

This 2 hour session will be a hands-on simulation of estimating, planning, building and reviewing. We will conduct multiple iterations and learn about the entire Agile delivery cycle. Participants will experience both the customer and developer roles (no programming skills required). Things you will learn: How to deliver maximum business value. How to sequence requirements. How to make an iteration plan. How to assess the progress of the plan.

Bio: Mark has been an Agile coach and developer since 1999, and has worked at scales from a solo agile developer to coaching a $6 million project. Mark has been active in growing the ScrumAlliance as the first ScrumAlliance programmer, and more recently as Product Owner. Mark is a CSM and CSPO.

UPDATE: This workshop will be presented two more times at the dates below.

10th March agilecincinnati.org <-- More Pictures
26th March cincydayofagile.org

Meeting Feb 1: "What is an agile coach, really?"

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 17:20:00 +0000

Lyssa Adkins will be in town and has agreed to lead a discussion at our next meeting.

Lyssa Adkins has taught Scrum to hundreds of students, coached dozens of agile teams and served as master coach to many apprentice coaches since 2004. Coaching coaches one-on-one and in small groups, she enjoys a front-row seat as remarkable agile coaches emerge and go on to entice the very best from the teams they coach. Prior to agile, Adkins had more than fifteen years of expertise leading project teams and groups of project managers in large and small consulting firms, commercial software companies, and the Fortune 500, yet nothing prepared her for the power of Agile done simply and well. She teaches the “Coaching Agile Teams” training course which allows agile coaches to learn, practice and deepen the skills and mind-sets offered in the book of the same title.

Description:

More and more frequently, ScrumMasters and project managers are being asked to coach agile teams. But it's a challenging role. It requires new skills - as well as a subtle understanding of when to step in and when to step back. Migrating from “command and control” to agile coaching requires a whole new mind-set.

This leaves many wondering, “What is my role in a self-organized team? How do I help the team yet stay hands-off?” Many respond by going too far to either extreme. This session turns these questions into answers, and answers into action by offering provocative views into coaching done well and practical ways to get there by adapting skills from professional coaching, conflict management, teaching, collaboration and more.

In this discussion, we can explore these topics:

Key mindset shifts successful agile coaches achieve

What skills from allied disciplines do agile coaches bring to their teams?

Ways to measure your success and improvement as a coach

As an agile coach, you can help project teams become outstanding at agile, creating products that make them proud and helping organizations reap the powerful benefits of teams that deliver both innovation and excellence. Come see how.

Meeting: Tues Jan 4: The Code is the Design

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 01:49:00 +0000

Presenter: Mark Haskamp - @markhaskamp

The Code is the Design.
In 1992, Jack W. Reeves wrote an essay titled "What Is Software Design?". In the essay Reeves makes the claim "that final source code is the real software design." It should be required reading for the IT profession.

We'll explore the concept of 'Code as Design' in depth with a review of the essay. We'll also examine current day examples that provide further proof for Reeves' claim. Finally, we'll discuss how we can take the notion of 'Code as Design' and apply it on the job to make us better developers (or should that be 'designers'?)

Meeting Tuesday Nov 30th (Note the Date)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 15:21:00 +0000

A Special December Meeting will actually be held in November on Tuesday the 30th.
Please note that this is not our normal meeting date. We are meeting a week earlier in because some special people are in town and have agreed to stop by and talk with the group.

Speaker: Chet Hendrickson

... will take question in an interactive session.

We are expecting a lot of interest in this talk so Registration is Limited to 55 seats

* Updated (18 Dec)*
Things Chet talked about:

Agile in 10 minutes
Agile Skills Project Wiki

Meeting: Tuesday 2nd November

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 12:28:00 +0000

The next meeting is Tuesday 2nd November as normal.
The topic (unless anyone has something that want to present) is Open-Mic roundtable.

The oddity in our schedule is that the December meeting will occur on 30 Nov.

Update:
Halloween meeting theme: Bring your testing horror stories.
@objo will lead a discussion about testing anti-patterns

Meeting Tuesday Oct 5th

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:21:00 +0000

Meeting Topics:

"Technical writing 101" with Elizabeth Naramore

If you've had an idea for writing a blog post or article, but you're not sure where to start, this talk is for you! Maybe you've had difficulty effectively documenting your code, or communicating your ideas to non-techies. This talk will help you, too! In this fun and informative session, we'll discuss the basics of writing and clear communication through the written word. We'll also talk about strategies for keeping your writing interesting and informative at the same time. Finally, we'll discuss resources for improving your writing skills in the future.

Carin Meier will give a short talk on "Open Source Data Integration" using Pentaho ETL
Review and discussion of JRubyConf

Meeting Tuesday Sept 7th

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:25:00 +0000

Mike Ball will give a deep dive into the features of HTML5 and it's utility in todays browsers.

But please Register for a head count so we can push the tables together.

Aug 3rd. Meeting.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:35:00 +0000

It's Summer time.
Lots of folks are on vacation.

So this months meeting will be laid back (even more than usual).
6 - 6:30pm We'll meet at the normal conference room.

Then head to:

Mecklenburg Gardens

302 East University Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45219-2431
(513) 221-5353

to sit outside and share agile stories.
Feel free to head straight to the beer garden if you'd like.

But please Register for a head count so we can push the tables together.

June and July Meetings

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Thu, 13 May 2010 12:37:00 +0000

Meeting Topics for June and July
1st June

Agile Expert Panel (RSVP)

This will be a forum for answering any remaining questions generated by the Cincinnati Day Of Agile.
Cincinnati Day Of Agile sold out in 20 hours, and the registration process generated many very good questions about adopting Agile Processes. There are more questions on the list than can possibly be answered during the Cincinnati Day Of Agile Panel-Discussion. So we opened up our normal monthly meeting to continue the discussion.

* We moved ProtoNight to July to so that our meeting could help continue the discussions started at the Cincinnati Day of Agile. Since our meeting was 2-weeks after the conference, the timing was good to keep the momentum moving.

6th July

ProtoNight (RSVP)

A "ProtoNight" is an idea presented by Craig Muth (@trogdoro) for his group in Columbus. We thought it would be fun to run the event here in Cincinnati for an Agile Round Table meeting.
This is how Craig describes it [http://protonight.com...]

Please join us.

May 4th, 2010 - Semantic Web using Ruby

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Windholtz) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:41:00 +0000

Here is a link to the mini-presentation I gave last night at the Cincinnati Agile Roundtable.

Semantic Web & Ruby